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Apple turns on ‘In App Purchase’ for free iPhone OS apps

Thursday, October 15, 2009 · 5:05 pm · 27 Comments

In an email to iPhone OS app developers today, Apple explained:

In App Purchase is being rapidly adopted by developers in their paid apps. Now you can use In App Purchase in your free apps to sell content, subscriptions, and digital services.

You can also simplify your development by creating a single version of your app that uses In App Purchase to unlock additional functionality, eliminating the need to create Lite versions of your app. Using In App Purchase in your app can also help combat some of the problems of software piracy by allowing you to verify In App Purchases.

Apple invites developers to visit the App Store Resource Center for more details about how they can add In App Purchases to their free apps.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Mo" for the heads up.]

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Comment Feed

27 Comments

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BlackWolf

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:11 pm · Reply

I suppose all the good times have to end sooner or later.
Vador

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:16 pm · Reply

Now you will have a bunch of apps for “free” that don’t real do anything unless you in app purchase the functionality
Peter

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:17 pm · Reply

I always thought that was odd, that free Apps couldn’t do “In App Purchases.” To me, this seemed important for content-based Apps: The Reader App is free and you can buy content to read.

I also like the idea that Apps can now “upgrade themselves” via In App Purchases. So rather than having a “Lite” version and a “Full” version, you give away the “Lite” version and then have it upgrade itself when the user pays for it.

Of course, I could see Apple losing about 10,000 Apps in the App Store since just about every game I’ve seen has both a full version and a Lite version.
ping

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:20 pm · Reply

BlackWolf: I suppose all the good times have to end sooner or later.

Free apps will remain abundant – they are an important driver for the App Store and for the entire platform.

I for my part welcome it when the duplication of “lite” and “full” versions ends and I can decide when I want to upgrade and I can do it right within that app without hunting for the separate app.
ping

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:22 pm · Reply

Vador: Now you will have a bunch of apps for “free” that don’t real do anything unless you in app purchase the functionality

You won’t any more than today – for the same reason the separate “lite” versions today usually allow for real-world evaluation of the functionality.
Dirty Pierre le Punk

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:37 pm · Reply

A wise move as it eliminates many of the apps that are clogging up the store. Yes, it will mean 1000s disappear from the store but in six months time I reckon numbers would be back to where they are now in a leaner and easier to use store.
R2

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:41 pm · Reply

That should’ve been the idea from the get go. As soon as I first read about In App purchases, I thought it would mean the end of both lite apps and rampant app buyer’s remorse.

A lot of us always wanted demo apps to try before we buy and now we finally have the solution. Get on this ASAP, devs.
ApplePi

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:50 pm · Reply

I think Free apps should remain free… but the ability to upgrade to a paid app is a good idea.

Apple’s reneging on their word,here.
TheConfuzed1

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:52 pm · Reply

Many if the devs were doing this before anyway, with the work-around of using a link to the paid app, within the app store.

This will be a much cleaner way of doing it.
R2

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 5:58 pm · Reply

“Apple’s reneging on their word,here.”

Good. That’s what you’re supposed to do when your original way of thinking is wrong. You re-evaluate, you adapt. I’m glad it didn’t take them two years before they finally got the picture.
Predrag

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:04 pm · Reply

“I think Free apps should remain free… “

I think you don’t understand this. Nothing of significance will change for users. Free apps will remain free. Paid apps will remain paid. The only difference will be that the developers won’t need to develop and offer two separate apps; one free (and limited, as a demo), one paid. They can now do what many developers do in the desktop world: give you a demo app to download for free, then pay inside the app to unlock features (or add more features, or whatever).

None of the currently free apps (the ones that don’t have a paid twin) will be affected.
...Aaaaand down the stretch they come!!!

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:12 pm · Reply

I always thought Apple fans were a bit above the general population when it came to ethics and standards.

I now realize I was wrong. I’ve never been so sick to read comments from a bunch of whiners who echo the general sentiment I’m seeing in the U.S. today… People want things FREE, they want them NOW, and they want someone else to PAY.

Next, we’ll have a social program pushed through congress where people are demanding their god given right to have the Apps they want. Should we call the movement “App Purchase Reform”, or “Universal App Care for All”? Clearly the existing system is messed up and in need of fixing by the government.
Falkirk

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:18 pm · Reply

I support this move. I understand Apple’s initial motives but I think this change of policy is the better choice.
Tom

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:24 pm · Reply

@Falkirk
Echo that thought here
Scott Rose

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 6:27 pm · Reply

Finally!! This is long overdue and welcome!!

This is exactly how the real world of software works for our Macs… download a free trial, and then pay to unlock the rest of the app!
Mr. Reeee

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 7:01 pm · Reply

Gee, it’s almost like shareware! And it’s about goddam time!

As long as developers make clear in their apps’ descriptions that it’s a feature limited app unless you purchase an unlock, it can’t help but be a good thing.

I’ve downloaded, launched and immediately dumped a slew of “lite” apps. But, also, I’ve downloaded several “lite” apps launched them and immediately gone back to the app store to purchase the full version. This will just cut down on wasted effort on all sides.

Good move, Apple.

Apple STILL needs to do more organization of the App Store. It’s increasingly difficult to find things.
bkire

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 8:15 pm · Reply

Will this make my iPhone snappier?
MacGuy

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 8:19 pm · Reply

“People want things FREE, they want them NOW, and they want someone else to PAY”

These idiots bitch about an app being $1.99, that took the developer months and thousands of dollars to develop…

…yet they will spend more than that on a cup of coffee that takes 5 seconds to make and is forever gone in 5 minutes…

Idiots! Morons! Jackasses! Pigheads! Bafoons! Assmonkeys!

Anyone have any more suggestions?
THANK YOU

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 10:40 pm · Reply

FINALLY. I’m sick of downloading a demo game, beating 10 levels, and then having to start over with the real version when I buy it. Ugh!

I guess Apple CAN learn what people want.
B

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 10:43 pm · Reply

WTF? This is the first thing I thought of when they intoduced in-app purchase. It’s the “download the trial version” and you can get the full version if you like it. Just like on the mac …
Why is this misunderstood or a revelation?
B

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 10:47 pm · Reply

As usual, Pedrag, you are the sage and sane. Clearly the one who understands.
DX

Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 11:25 pm · Reply

The original message was, free apps will remain free. In other words, you wouldn’t be able to do what they’re now suggesting because it dilutes the concept of free.

That’s obviously been argued down, for various reasons including popular demand, as being too arbitrary a moral imposition.

I’m ambivalent. I applauded the original idea, it struck me as visionary (in a purist kind of a way). But I can also see the real benefit of eliminating the Lite plague from overstuffed store categories.

Pity they had to reneg, it’s true. It inspires me when resoluteness is given a fair chance against expediency, and this is one case where the latter won out.
mike

Friday, October 16, 2009 - 12:04 am · Reply

DX…

Yeah, to be honest, LITE apps now include a button that says click here to upgrade to the full version (shareware)…

So this in app purchase just makes that experince more pleasant and seamless…

Bottom line, if you dick your customers around, they WONT PAY.

Anyone scared of being TRICKED should just read some reviews…

One thing that i just though… what if its like ALBUMS used to be, where the best part of the album is the single (bad bands, etc).. the dev could make the first three levels AWESOME, then slack off on the next 8 levels…

ultimately, you still have to read reviews.
Mac-nugget

Friday, October 16, 2009 - 8:47 am · Reply

And everybody complains because of some distorted ideology of entitlement. Why should people not be able to monazite their work? If you think something is worth something, buy it, if not don’t, but don’t complain because it cost money. Doesn’t everybody sell something?
jtc

Friday, October 16, 2009 - 9:34 am · Reply

I think this will work ok for games.. instead of the maker doing a second version of a game and charging the same as original.. they could just add some levels and more stuff.. kinda like a game pack for a set price thats cheaper… just my thoughts though